Impacts of predicted sea level rise on land use/land cover categories of the adjacent coastal areas of Mumbai megacity, India

Abstract

Physical and ecological responses of the coastal areas in the vicinity of Mumbai, India, due to relative sea level rise are examined by different inundation scenarios. Evaluation of potential habitat loss under sea level rise was made by incorporating the land use/land cover (LULC) adopted from the digital elevation model with the satellite imagery. LULC categories overlaid on 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 m coastal elevation showed that the coastal areas of Mumbai were mostly covered by vegetation followed by barren land, agricultural land, urban areas and water bodies. For the relative sea level rise scenarios of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 m, the tidal inundation areas were estimated to be 257.85, 385.58, 487.56 and 570.63 km 2 , respectively, using GIS techniques. The losses of urban areas were also estimated at 25.32, 41.64, 54.61 and 78.86 km 2 for the 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 m relative sea level rise, respectively, which is most alarming information for the most populated city on the eastern coast of India. The results conclude that relative sea level rise scenario will lead profound impacts on LULC categories as well as on coastal features and landforms in the adjoining part of Mumbai. The sea level rise would also reduce the drainage gradients that promote flooding condition to rainstorms and subsequently increase saltwater intrusion into coastal regions. Alterations in the coastal features and landforms correlated with inundation characteristics that make the coastal region more vulnerable in the coming decades due to huge development activities and population pressures in Mumbai.

Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Human Health in Indian Cities: A Brief Review

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“…Mumbai is one of the world's most vulnerable cities to climate change (UN-Habitat 2010) and home to the largest population threatened by coastal flooding (IPCC-SREX 2012). At present, it experiences an annual sea level rise of between 2.5 and 3 mm along its coastline (Pramanik 2017). Sea level rise and the disappearance of natural buffer zones (e.g.…”

“…Sea level rise and the disappearance of natural buffer zones (e.g. coastal wetlands) increase the threat from inundation, erosion and flooding of densely populated areas in the city, many of which lie only 2-3 m above mean sea level (Pramanik 2017;TERI 2014). Average sea level rise in the Mumbai region is projected to lie between 30 cm-80 cm until 2100 (TERI 2014) with sea surface temperatures increasing at 0.32°C per decade from 1985 to 1998 (Khan et al 2004).…”

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